Swimming instructing machine and exerciser



Jan. 22, 1963 Filed July 26. 1960 C. E. MITCHEL ETAL SWIMMINGINSTRUCTING MACHINE AND EXERCISER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS CARL. E. MITCHEL.

G-sones FT Mrrcr-uen.

BY H M" W N ATTORNEYS Jan. 22, 1963 c. E. MITCHEL ETAL 3,074,716

SWIMMING INSTRUCTING MACHINE AND EXERCISER Filed July 26, 1960 5Sheets-Sheet 2 K INVENTORS CARL E. M lTgHEL. GEORGE E M l-TCHFL A T TORNEYS Jan. 22, 1963 c. E. MITCHEL ETAL 3,074,716

SWIMMING INSTRUCTING MACHINE AND EXERCISER Filed July 26, 1960 5Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS CARI- E. MITCHEL GEoReEF. MITCHEL ATTORNEYSUnited rates Calif.

Filed July 26, 1960, Ser. No. 45,448 6 Claims. (Cl. 272 711.)

The present invention relates to improvements in a swimming instructingmachine and exerciser, and it consists in the combinations,constructions, and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described andclaimed.

An object of our invention is to provide a swimming instructing machineand exerciser that is used as an aid in the teaching of swimming,conditioning of the body or for therapeutic use. When the machine isused as an aid in teaching swimming, the main purpose is to develop thecoordination of the arm movements with the leg movements. The mechanismfor moving the legs will lift them in a perpendicular motion when theoperator is lying in a prone position on a body-supporting bed with hishead facing downwardly. The movement of the leg lifting mechanism issuch as to cause the operators legs to flutter kick, in a manner similarto that of an experienced swimmer. The arm moving mechanism will causethe operators arms to move through circular paths which resemble actualmovements of the swimmers arms while swimming. The circular movement ofone arm is 180 apart from the circular movement of the other arm whichmeans when the right hand of the swimmer is at the top of the circle inits movement, the left hand is at the bottom of the circle.

A further object of our invention is to provide a device of the typedescribed in which the arm and leg moving mechanisms can be adjustedvertically with respect to the body-supporting bed so that they willaccommodate swimmers having arms and legs of different lengths.

Still a further object of our invention is to provide a device of thetype described in which the leg operating mechanism can be disconnectedfrom the arm operating mechanism so that the swimmer can practice armand leg stroke coordination which the machine taught him when the armand leg operating mechanisms were operatively connected together andcompelled him to coordinate his arm and leg strokes in a particularmanner. It is also possible to disconnect the hand-operated crank armfor the left hand from the hand-operated crank arm for the right hand sothat the swimmer can practice various types of arm strokes. When the twocrank arms are disconnected from each other, they can be rotatedclockwise or counterclockwise together or alternately.

A further object of our invention is to provide a device of the typedescribed in which adjustable braking means can be applied to the handoperated crank arms to apply a desired resistance thereto. We alsoprovide hydraulic means for the leg-operating mechanism so that it ispossible to throttle the flow of fluid in the hydraulic means so as toapply a desired resistance to the movement of the leg-supporting levers.This can be done when the leg operating mechanism is disconnected fromthe arm operating mechanism.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the specification continuesand the novel features will be set forth in the appended claims.

DRAWINGS For a better understanding of our invention, reference shouldbe had to th accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, in which:

FIGURE 1 is afront elevation of the machine;

dfiii lfiih Patented Jan. 22, I963 FIGURE 2 is a horizontal sectiontaken along the plane ll-II of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an elevational sectional view of the brake and is takenalong the line III-III of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a rear elevation of the hydraulic means when looking in thedirection of the arrows IV-IV of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view of the transmission as seen from theplane V--V of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken through the transmission,as indicated by the plane VI-VI of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is an elevational view of the eccentric drive as seen from theplane VIIVII of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 8 is an elevational view of a clutch as seen from the planeVIII-VIII of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 9 is an elevational view of the same clutch when looking from theleft hand side of FIGURE 8.

While we have shown only the preferred form of our invention, it shouldbe understood that various changes or modifications may be made withinthe scope of the annexed claims without departing from the spiritthereof.

Detailed Description In carrying our invention into practice we providea main frame indicated generally at A in FIGURES l and 2. The frame iscomposed of four vertically extending legs 1 which are angle irons. Abed 13 is supported by the tops of the legs I and it is preferably madeof canvas webbing or other suitable material. A plan view of the bed Bis shown by the dot-dash line in FIGURE 2, and it will be noted that thefront (left) end of the bed is of less width than the rear (right) end.This is for the purpose of permitting the operator to lie face down onthe bed with his head projecting beyond the narrow end and his armsextending downwardly past the two sides of the narrow end.

A subframe C is positioned below the bed B, and is adjustably supportedby the main frame A. The subframe C carries an arm exercising andguiding mechanism as well as a leg exercising and guiding mechanism,both of which will be described in detail hereinafter. The subframe Chas side members 2-2, that parallel each other and carry bolts 3 thatare slidably received in vertical slots 4, provided in the legs, seeFIGURE 1. Arcuate-shaped members D are secured to two of the legs 1 thatare disposed on the same side of the machine, and these members haveopenings 5 therein that are spaced equal distances from each other. Ashaft 6 is rotatably carried by the front (left) legs 1 of the mainframe and a pair of arms 7 are rigidly secured to the shaft. Links 8 arepivotally connected to the free ends of the arms 7, and have their otherends pivotally connected to the side members 2 of the subframe C atpoints adjacent to the front legs I. A handle E is rigidly connected tothe shaft 6, and the outer end of the handle carries a spring-loaded pin9 that can be manually retracted from the right hand opening 5, and thenthe handle swung in a counterclockwise direction for swinging the twoarms 7, and raising the two links 8 for lifting the forward end of thesubframe C to the desired extent. The pin 9 may now be released and willenter one of the openings 5 with which it is aligned. The bolts 3 at theforward end of the subframe C will ride upwardly in the slots 4 as thehandle E is swung counterclockwise.

In like manner, the rear end of the subframe C can be raised to thedesired extent by swinging a handle F clockwise to rotate a shaft 10,and swing arms 11 for lifting links 12, and moving the rear end of thesubframe upwardly. When the desired upward position is reached for thesubframe the spring-loaded pin 13 is released and will enter the opening5 in the arcuate-shaped member D.

3 It is possible for the subframe to be supported in a horizontalposition or in an inclined position as shown in FIGURE 1. The subframecan be positioned the desired distance below the bed B so that the armexercising and guiding means and the leg exercising and guiding meanswill be disposed the desired distance below the bed.

Arm Exercising and Guiding Means The arm exercising and guiding means isillustrated in FIGURES l and 2, and is supported at the forward end ofthe subframe C. A pair of axially aligned shafts 14 and 15 are supportedin bearings which in turn are mounted adjacent to the front ends of theside members 2-2 of the subframe. The adjacent ends of ,the shafts 1-4and 15 may be rigidly connected together by, a clutch indicatedgenerally at G in FIGURE 2. One clutch member 16 is keyed to the innerend of the shaft 15, and carries a spring loaded pin 17 that is designedto enter a notch in a second clutch member 18 that is keyed to the innerend of the shaft 14. The pin 17 can be manually retracted and held inretracted position to disconnect the two axially aligned shafts 14 and15. When it is desired to connect the two shafts, the pin 17 is rotatedon its axis 90 to free it and permit its spring to move the pin into therecess in the rim of the clutch member 18 when the recess aligns withthe pin.

Both shafts l4 and 15 carry hand-operated crank arms I and H, and sinceboth are identical, the arm I will be described and corresponding partsin both arms will be given similar reference numerals. FIGURE 1 showsthe arm I provided with a fork-shaped end that slides in a bracket 19that is carried by the shaft 14. The arms I and H may be moved out or inand then the jamb nuts 20 may be tightened for clamping the arms againstradial movement. Hand-gripping members 21 are pivotally secured to theouter ends of the arms .I and H. When the clutch G connects the twoshafts 14 and 15 together, the arms I and H will be 180 apart.

It is possible to apply a braking force to either of the shafts 14 or15. A brake K is mounted on the shaft 14 and is shown in detail inFIGURE 3. A similar brake is mounted on the shaft 15, see FIGURE 2. Itwill be seen from FIGURE 3 that the brake K comprises a brake drum 22,keyed to the shaft 14. A brake shoe 23 is pivotally mounted on a lever24, and the lever is pivotally carried by the side member 2 of thesubframe C and is swungby rotating a nut 25 on a bolt 26, the latterbeing pivotally connected to the free end of the lever. The nut 25 bearson a strap 27 carried by the side member 2. A tightening of the nut 25will apply the brake shoe 23 against the brake drum. Both brakes K canbe individually applied to create the desired braking force on theshafts 14 and 15.

Leg Exercising and Guiding Means The leg exercising and guiding means isillustrated in FIGURES land 2. It will be seen from FIGURE 2 that weprovide two pairs of tubular members 28-28 and 29-29, and these pairsact as levers L and M. The pair of tubular members 28-28 is pivotallymounted on a shaft 30 that in turn is supported near the rear end of thesubframe C. The pair of tubular members 29-29 is pivotally mounted onthe same shaft 30. At the right hand ends of the tubular members 28-28,we slidably mount a bracket 31 and this bracket can be moved along thetubular members comprising lever L into a desired position. The bracketcarries uprights 32 and FIGURE 2 shows the upper ends of the uprights aspivotally supporting a leg-receiving saddle" 33. In like manner thetubular members 29-29 slidably carry a bracket'34 and the uprightmembers 35 of this bracket pivotally support a leg-receiving saddle 36.The two pairs of tubular members28-28 and 29-29 function as levers L andM and they are designed to swing in opposite directions to one another.For example, when the operators leg in the saddle 36 is moveddownwardly, the lever M will move downwardly and cause the lever L tomove upwardly so that the saddle 33 will raise the other leg of theoperator.

In FIGURES 1 and 4 we show a pair of cylinders 38 and 39 in whichpistons 40 and 41 are slidably mounted. A piston rod 42 extends upwardlyfrom the piston 40 and is pivotally connected to the leg-supportinglever L by a bracket 43, see FIGURE 1. In like manner the piston 41 hasa piston rod 43 extending upwardly therefrom which is connected to theleg-supporting lever M by means of a bracket 44. The lower ends of thecylinders 38 and 39 are pivotally secured to the main frame A at 45. Thetwo hydraulic cylinders 38 and 39 are interconnected at their lower endsby a pipe 46 and a valve 47 is placed in the pipe and can be adjustedfor controlling the flow of fluid therethrough. If the valve 47 is fullyopen, there will be no appreciable resistance to the flow of fluid fromone cylinder to the other. However, the valve 47 can be partiallyclosed, and in this way the fluid will be restricted as it flows fromthe cylinder 39 into the cylinder 38, and the restricted fluid willoffer a resistance to the movement of the operators leg.

We provide a reservoir 48 for additional fluid and two pipes, 49 and 50,see FIGURE 4, lead from the reservoir 48 and communicate with the pipe46 on opposite sides of the control valve 47. If for any reasons eithercylinder demands more fluid, reservoir 48 takes care of that demand.This could happen on a fast upward movement of one of the pistons inwhich the fluid was unable to pass thru the control valve 47 fastenough. A slight vacuum could be created that would hold the pistonback. In a situation such as this the necessary amount of fluid would bedrawn thru check valve 51 or 52 into the needed cylinder and the resultwould be a smooth piston action.

Interconnecting Means for the Armand Leg-Operating Mechanisms We willnow described how the arm exercising and guiding means can be connectedto the leg exercising and guiding means so that an operation of the armmechanism will actuate the leg mechanism. Referring to FIGURES 5 and 6,it will be seen that a gear 53 is keyed to the shaft 15 and forms a partof a transmission or chain of gears N. An idler gear 54 of the same sizeas the gear 53, is keyed to a stub shaft 55 and FIGURE 6 shows itdisengaged from the gear 53. A forked lever 56, see FIG- URES 2 and 5,engages with a collar 57, mounted on the shaft 55, so that a swinging ofthe lever 56 will move the shaft 55 for shifting the gear 54 into meshwith the gear 53 as indicated by the dot-dash line position in FIGURE 6.A driven shaft 58 has a gear 59 mounted thereon and the idler gear 54,when meshing with the gear 53, will mesh with the gear 59-and willconnect the driven shaft 58 to the drive shaft 15. The gear 59 is aboutone halfthe diameter of the idler gear 54 so that the gear 59 will berotated about twice as fast as the gears 53 and 54.

Again referring to FIGURE 2, the driven shaft 58 is connected to aneccentric 60, see also FIGURE 7. The eccentric has a channel-shapedcollar 61 contacting its rim and a pitman 62 extends from the collar andis connected to an arm 63 of a clutch member 64. The clutch member isfree to rock on a shaft 65 that is carried by a depending frame member66, see FIGURE 1 of the subframe C. A second clutch member 67 is keyedtothe shaft 65, see FIGURE 9, and the member carries a springloaded pin 68that enters a recess '69 provided in the rim of the clutch member 64,for securing the two clutch members together. The .clutch shown inFIGURE 9 works in the same manner as the clutch G, shown in FIGURE 2. Itwill be seen that arotation of the shaft 15 will rock the shaft 65 whenthe clutch members 64 and 67 are interconnected, and gear 54 is in itsengaged position.

The shaft 65 has an arm 76 projecting therefrom and a link 71 connectsthe arm to the forward end of the lever L, see FIGURE 1. In like mannerthe shaft 65 has another arm 72 that extends 180 away from the arm 70. Alink 73 connects the free end of the arm 72 to the front end of thelever M. As the shaft 65 is rocked by the reciprocating pitman 62, thearms 70 and 72 will be rocked back and forth and will raise and lowerthe links '71 and 73 to raise and lower the front ends of the levers Land M. The levers will rock on the shaft 39 and will raise and lower theleg-supporting saddles 33 and 36. The legs of the operator will be movedabout twice as fast as his arms. An important feature is that the clutchmembers as and 67 can be disconnected to free the leg exercising andguiding mechanism from the eccentric 60 and thus permit the operator touse the leg exercising mechanism independently of the arm exercisingmechanism.

OPERATION From the foregoing description of the various parts of thedevice, the operation thereof may be readily understood. ln teaching anovice the correct hand and leg strokes for swimming, the novice firstlies face down on the body-supporting bed B. The arms I and H are thenadjusted and the leg-supporting saddles 33 and 36 are also adjusted toaccommodate the arms and legs of the novice. The clutch G interconnectsthe aligned shafts 14 and 15, and the brakes K are adjusted to apply thedesired braking force on the shafts. The subframe C is adjusted to thedesired position by the handles E and F.

The leg-operating levers L and M are connected to the arms I and H bythe clutch members 64 and 67 being interconnected, and the forked lever56 being thrown for causing the idler gear 54 to mesh with the gears 53and S9 in the manner already described. The machine will now teach thenovice the correct number of leg movements to a certain number of armmovements. The arms J and H will be held 180 apart and the levers L andM will swing in opposite directions.

After the novice has been taught the proper strokes and the timing ofthe arm and leg strokes, the hand operated crank arms I and H may bedisconnected from the leg operating mechanism in the manner previouslydescribed. The swimmer may now exercise his arms independently from hislegs. The brakes K can be adjusted to vary the braking force and theclutch G may be disengaged to permit the arms I and H to be operatedindependently of each other.

The leg-operated mechanism can also be actuated by the swimmerindependently of the arm actuated mechanism. The valve 47 in FIGURE 4 isadjusted to apply the desired resistance to the legs of the swimmer.

It is possible to use the machine as a therapeutic device. The drivenshaft 58 can have a sprocket 74- keyed thereto. A sprocket chain 75 maybe applied to the sprocket 74* and connected to a source of power whenit is desired to rotate the shaft 51%, rather than have it driven byrotating the arms i and H. The shaft 58 now becomes a drive shaft andwill actuate the levers L and M to impart movement to the legs of theperson lying on the body-supporting bed B when the person only wants legmotion and not arm motion. The forked lever 56 can be moved to cause theidler gear 54 to mesh with the gears 53 and 59 when the person wantslegs and arms exercised. The arms I and 1-1 will now be actuated by theshaft 53 and will exercise the arms of the person when his hands gripthe hand-grip members 21. If the person only wants his arms exercisedand not his legs, the clutch members 64 and 67 are disengaged from eachother.

All of the mechanism is mounted on a single subframe C that can beraised or lowered in front or in back by a system of arms E and F. Themachine teaches swimming strokes to a person who does not have to enterthe water. The leg-moving mechanism can be disengaged from the armactuated mechanism. There are three places for disconnecting parts. Oneis the clutch G for disconnecting the shaft 14 from its aligned shaft15. The second is the idler gear 54 and the third is the clutch shown inFIG- URES 8 and 9 for disconnecting the pitman 62 from the shaft 65.

We claim:

1. In a device of the type described: two axially aligned shafts; ahand-operated crank arm secured to each shaft and extending radiallytherefrom for rotating the shafts; a manually-controlled clutch forinterconnecting the two shafts; a pair of leg-supporting levers rockableabout a horizontal axis; and means for connecting the axially alignedshafts with said leg-supporting levers; said means comprising a firstgear keyed to one of the aligned shafts; an idler gear meshing with saidgear; a second gear meshing with the idler gear and keyed to a stubshaft; manually controlled means for disconnecting the idler gear fromthe other two gears; an eccentric mounted on said stub shaft; a pitmanreciprocated by said eccentric; a transverse shaft; an arm connected toan element of a second clutch, the element being free to rock on thetransverse shaft and being swung by the reciprocation of the pitman;said second clutch having a second element keyed to the transverseshaft; the two elements of the second clutch when interconnected causingthe second clutch element to rock When the first element is rocked so asto rock the transverse shaft; and arm and link connections between thetransverse shaft and the leg-supporting levers for swinging the leverswhen the axially aligned shafts are rotated.

2. In a device of the type described: two axially aligned shafts; ahand-operated crank arm secured to each shaft and extending radiallytherefrom for rotating the shafts; a manually-controlled clutch forinterconnecting thetwo shafts; a pair of leg-supporting levers rockableabout a horizontal axis; and means for connecting the axially alignedshafts with said leg-supporting levers; said means comprising a firstgear keyed to one of the aligned shafts; an idler gear meshing with saidgear; a second gear meshing with the idler gear and keyed to a stubshaft; an cecentric monnted on said stub shaft; a pitman reciprocated bysaid eccentric; a transverse shaft; an arm connected to an element of asecond clutch, the element being free to rock on the transverse shaftand being swung by the reciprocating of the pitman; said second clutchsaving a second element keyed to the transverse shaft; the two elementsof the second clutch when interconnected causing the second clutchelement to rock when the first element is rocked so as to rock thetransverse shaft; and arm and link connections between the transverseshaft and the leg-supporting levers for swinging the levers when theaxially aligned shafts are rotated.

3. In a device of the type described: two axially aligned shaftsconnected together; a hand-operated crank arm secured to each shaft andextending radially therefrom for rotating the shafts as a unit; a pairof leg-supporting levers rockable about a horizontal axis; and means forconnecting the axially aligned shafts with said leg-supporting levers;said means comprising a first gear keyed to one of the aligned shafts;an idler gear meshing with said gear; a second gear meshing with theidler gear and keyed to a stub shaft; manually controlled means fordisconnecting the idler gear from the other two gears; an eccentricmounted on said stub shaft; a pitman reciprocated by said eccentric; atransverse shaft; an arm connected to an element of a second clutch, theelement being free to rock on the transverse shaft and being swung bythe reciprocation of the pitman; said second clutch having a secondelement keyed to the transverse shaft; the two elements of the secondclutch when interconnected causing the second clutch element to rockwhen the first element is rocked so as to rock the transverse shaft; andarm and link connections between the transverse shaft and theleg-supporting levers for swinging the levers when the axially alignedshafts are rotated.

4. in a device of the type described: two axially aligned shafts; ahand-o erated crank arm secured to each shaft and extending radiallytherefrom for rotating the shafts; a manually-controlled clutch forinterconnecting the two shafts; a pair of leg-supporting levers rockableabout a horizontal axis; and means for connecting the axially alignedshafts with said leg-supporting levers; said means comprising a firstgear keyed to one of the aligned shafts; an idler gear meshing with saidgear; a second gear meshing with the idler gear and keyed to a stubshaft; manually controlled means for disconnecting the idler gear fromthe other two gears; an eccentric mounted on said stub shaft; a pitmanreciprocated by said eccentric; a transverse shaft; an arm connected toan element of a second clutch, the element being free to rock on thetransverse shaft and being swung by the reciprocation of the pitman;said second clutch having a second element keyed to the transverseshaft; the two elements of the second clutch when interconnected causingthe. second clutch element to rock when the first element is rocked soas to rock the transverse shaft; arm and link connections between thetransverse shaft and the leg-supporting levers for swinging the leverswhen the axially aligned shafts are rotated; and adjustable brakingmeans for the legsupporting levers for applying the desired brakingforce on these levers.

5. A device of the type described: a main frame, a bed carried by theframe for supporting an operator in a prone position, a subframepositioned below the bed, adjustable means for connecting the subframeto the main frame and for securing the subframe at the desired angularor horizontal position with respect to the bed and at the desireddistance below the bed, arm exercising and guiding means arranged at oneend of and supported by the subframe, and leg exercising and guidingmeans extending beyond the opposite end and supported by the subframe,said adjustable means securing the subframe to the main frame forsimultaneously disposing the arm exercising and leg exercising means inproper relation with respect to the bed Where they can be engaged by thearms and legs of the operator lying on said bed, and clutch meanscarried by said subframe for connecting and disconnecting the armexercising means to and from the leg exercising means, whereby anoperation of the arm exercising means will operate the leg exercisingmeans when the clutch means is engaged.

6. In a device of the type described, a frame, a bed adjustably carriedby the frame for supporting an operator in a prone position, a pair ofaxially aligned shafts carried by said frame, a hand operated crank armsecured to each shaft and extending radially therefrom for rotating saidshafts, said shafts adapted to be interconnected to act in unison, apair of leg supporting levers carried by said frame for pivotal movementabout a horizontal axis, and clutch means interposed between said shaftsand said levers for connecting and disconnecting said levers to saidshafts, said clutch means when engaged causing said levers to swingabout their axis upon the rotation of said shafts and upon disengagementallowing said levers to be moved independently of said shafts.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS781,328 Brown Jan. 31, 1905 2,019,224 Hess Oct. 29, 1935 2,033,275Campbell Mar. 10, 1936 2,497,391 Becker Feb. 14, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS515,747 Germany Ian. 14, 1931

6. IN A DEVICE OF THE TYPE DESCRIBED, A FRAME, A BED ADJUSTABLY CARRIEDBY THE FRAME FOR SUPPORTING AN OPERATOR IN A PRONE POSITION, A PAIR OFAXIALLY ALIGNED SHAFTS CARRIED BY SAID FRAME, A HAND OPERATED CRANK ARMSECURED TO EACH SHAFT AND EXTENDING RADIALLY THEREFROM FOR ROTATING SAIDSHAFT, SAID SHAFTS ADAPTED TO BE INTERCONNECTED TO ACT IN UNISON, A PAIROF LEG SUPPORTING LEVERS CARRIED BY SAID FRAME FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENTABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS, AND CLUTCH MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID SHAFTSAND SAID LEVERS FOR CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING SAID LEVERS TO SAIDSHAFTS, SAID CLUTCH MEANS WHEN ENGAGED CAUSING SAID LEVERS TO SWINGABOUT THEIR AXIS UPON THE ROTATION OF SAID SHAFTS AND UPON DISENGAGEMENTALLOWING SAID LEVERS TO BE MOVED INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID SHAFTS.